About

Meet Bucklesweet

Bucklesweet is the brainchild of media maven Amanda Sweet, who brings strategic public relations and marketing expertise to a diverse roster of artists, musicians and institutions.We are committed to the arts, to diversity and to quality brands that have something valuable to offer. And we are dedicated to helping people learn about them. Our messages not only reach media gatekeepers, but ultimately real people.

Amanda Sweet

Amanda Sweet has been a marketing and public relations specialist for over 15 years, with developed expertise in a variety of industries including arts and entertainment, food, and luxury goods. Since 2008, Ms. Sweet has worked as founder and president of Bucklesweet. She has held senior management positions at prestigious record labels including Telarc and Heads Up, both subsidiaries of Concord Music Group, and Atlantic Records.

A thought-leader and sought-after expert, Ms. Sweet is a member of the Americana Music Association, the Blues Foundation, and is a voting member of the National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), home of the annual GRAMMY® Awards. She is engaged regularly to speak with students and young artists about the music business and how to develop a comprehensive promotions and media strategy. Most recently, Ms. Sweet has served as a speaker/mentor with the DeVos Institute of Arts Management, American University’s Kogod School of Business, the Manhattan School of Music, and Strathmore’s Artist-in-Residence.

Mike Fila

Mike Fila knows what it’s like to be on the receiving end of a bad pitch—his career began as a staff writer for Patuxent Publishing, a division of Tribune Company. As such, he thrives on sharing compelling stories, has a keen sense of how journalists work, and knows what they need… and what they don’t.

He parlayed his media savvy into public relations, working for a diverse range of clients including national consumer shows, law firms, educational institutions, museums, and performing arts and cultural organizations. The latter is where he found his passion, supporting the Contemporary Museum, The Walters Art Museum, Maryland Institute College of Art, and the Maryland Science Center.

This led him to Strathmore, Maryland’s home for the arts just outside of Washington, DC, where he served as Associate Director of Public Relations and Marketing. In this role, Mike independently handled media outreach for more than 100 events annually in Strathmore’s 1,800-seat Music Center and historic Mansion. He also oversaw the art center’s social media platforms, managed production of marketing collateral, devised paid advertising strategy, and broadened his experience through concert programming and management.

Mike was privileged to work on the overall brand refresh for Strathmore and was instrumental in launching AMP, Strathmore’s cabaret-style venue. He was deeply involved in AMP from concept to realization—he shaped brand identity, maintained the club’s social media platforms, assisted with website development, and, naturally, handled press.

Caroline Heaney

Caroline Heaney is a native of the Washington, DC, area with over five years of experience working with arts and music organizations. A 2011 graduate of Colgate University with a double major in Music and English literature, Caroline honed her skills at small nonprofits like the Chenango Summer MusicFest (Hamilton, NY), Cantata Singers (Boston, MA) and Bach In Baltimore (Baltimore, MD) where she demonstrated a knack for disciplines as wide-ranging as marketing, fundraising and concert-day operations. An internship in the press office at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts was the impetus for Caroline’s deepened focus on press and media relations. At the Kennedy Center, Caroline helped with projects such as the Nordic Cool 2013 festival, the 2013-14 season announcement, and the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, developing relationships with crucial media outlets in the Washington, DC, area and throughout the US. Caroline now handles tour press for Bucklesweet, working closely with artists to publicize performances across the country.